Speeding Cars in the District
by Ravenhearst
Summary: A wise, yet sad man once said, "When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves." After reading those words, he placed the book back in its rightful place. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. And he let them fall, because he knew that he would never be as good as his team mates. And at that moment, he realized how true it really was.
1. Prologue

"_He didn't care about the race. He just wanted to swim you guys again," the bespectacled boy told them. "To swim with the best team mates he could have ever asked for."_

_Haruka stood up and looked at his team mate, "How do you know that?"_

_He stood there, staring straight in the eye at the butterfly swimmer, waiting for an answer._

"_Because..." Rei smiled and blushed slightly at the confession he was going to make, "...I feel the same way he does."_

_It got through to them._

"_I want to swim with all of you. With the best team mates I could ever ask for."_

_The three other swimmers stared at him in awe and were touched by the sincerity of his words, but that was not the point. He needed to bring the four former swim team members together again, for their sakes and , partly, his. _

"_I'm sure you feel the same way, Haruka-senpai!" his words were now directed to the raven-haired teen in front of him, "the race isn't important! There's someone you want to swim with right?!"_

_Haru's eyes shone as he confessed, "I want to swim with Rin."_

_Rei took a deep breath and sighed._

"_If you don't do something now, Rin-san will stop swimming! You're the only ones who can do something!"_

"_But, what are we supposed to do?" Makoto asked._

_Rei knew that what he was gonna say next, couldn't be taken back._

"_You still don't understand?! Logically speaking, there's only one solution!" he practically shouted._

_Haruka's eyes widened and got what he meant.  
_

"_Rei, are you really alright with this?" the freestyler sounded concerned at his friend's decision._

_No, I'm not. "Of course!"_

* * *

They won.

He couldn't believe it.

They won.

_There were no words to describe what he saw. Magnificent, grand, amazing, awesome, none of these could justify their performance in the water. None. His team mates, his friends, they swam as if it was a second nature and whatever walls, boundaries, or limits that were put before them back then...they definitely broke through. _

"_Haru!" Makoto stretched out his hand to help his best friend out of the pool._

_The young blonde beside him hicced and sobbed, crying tears of joy, "Haru-chan, Haru-chan."_

"_C'mon, stop crying Nagisa," the brunette smiled at his kouhai._

_Haru simply smiled at the sight of the two, but it faded slightly when he saw Rin running towards him. He expected to be tackled to the ground, so he shut his eyes and prepared for impact, but instead they widened slightly in shock when he realized that he was pulled into a hug. The other two followed and all four of them were now in a group hug._

"_Haru, you showed me the best sight I could've asked for," Rin said._

"_Yeah," he replied._

Rei smiled to himself. His friends were finally free.

* * *

_I'd understand if i lost some readers, some friends, but mostly the people whom i considered family in this site. And I'd understand if there are flames here and there for being not updated and I bet I lost a lot of readers for Midnight Runaways. More or less, I couldn't be more sorry for how I've been this past year. But there's more I'd like you to know. Last year, on November 8 2013, a super typhoon hit the Philippines, across Visayas and mostly, my hometown, Tacloban City. We lost a lot of friends, family, we were a broken community, a city in ruins, And what's worse is not only was the storm the reason our city was destroyed, but by its own people as well. Everyone became desperate, and started looting, killing, and committing the most immoral acts. We couldn't trust anyone beyond our own families and closest friends. What happened that day and the following weeks and months will never be forgotten. The people who mourn for their lost loves, those who have been traumatized, and those who have to start from scratch, they will bring this memory with them for the rest of their lives. I'm sorry that I had to dump this on you guys but I had to let you know just what happened to me, my family and everyone I cared for. Not everyone knows my country's story, but they should. It will take time to mend things, but nothing will ever be the same again. And on that note, I will try my hardest to be better at this. But no more promises or excuses in between. That's all I have to say now, and I hope you can accept this story as my way of saying sorry._

_At the same time, I hope you enjoy it. _

_-Ravenhearst_


	2. Smeared Black Ink

"You guys are truly beautiful," he said to no one in particular, his gaze still on his friends.

He didn't regret it.

He did it for them.

"_Rin-Rin!" Nagisa cried out._

_Everyone looked at the young blonde strangely, then burst into laughter from the old nickname._

"_It's been too long," Makoto smiled fondly at the group._

'I should be down there with them, but why am I not?'

'Am I really one of them?'

Rei clenched and unclenched his fists. He tried to shake of the bitter thoughts he had, and instead thought of his friends and how beautifully they swam. What they had was something he'd never seen before, and he felt somewhat honored that he was there to witness that. Although, there was something that only they saw, from how they swam, it must have been something amazing, something powerful, which drove them to push past their limits and break free.

Free.

It was something he tried to achieve while learning how to swim with his team mates. What did being free mean? Was Haruka-senpai's concept of freedom the kind of freedom he was striving for? Was it satisfaction? Was it overcoming obstacles to reach one's dreams, like Rin-san? Or is it to simply be yourself among the people you learned to care for? Sometimes, he just didnt get it, but when he swam with them in the relay back in prefecturals, there was something he felt. Something warm when he was around his team mates. Was that what being free felt like?

At that moment, he recalled something his gym teacher said to him during practice in pole-vaulting, just a short while before he left it for the swim club.

"_Ryugazaki!" his gym teacher called out. "Are you running calculations in your head before jumping?"_

_Rei remained silent, but the teacher knew the answer to his own question._

"_Your form is perfect, but that's all you have," his teacher told him. "You're too focused on the technical side."_

"_But I-"_

"_I understand that it's your style, but you're not going to improve at this rate," his coach told him bluntly._

Too focused on the technical side. So that meant there was something missing. His coach knew that there was something more he needed than a perfect form and accurate calculations.

"It's because I'm not free," he mumbled. That was the harsh truth.

"Eh, did you say something, Rei?" Coach Sasabe asked him from the side.

The blue-haired teen snapped out of his thoughts.

"N-Nothing Goro-san, just talking to myself," Rei forced a smile and hoped it was convincing enough.

Fortunately, the former coach bought it.

"Ah, I guess their win is still sinking in your mind, eh?" Goro patted him a bit too roughly on the back, much to Rei's discomfort.

"Rei," the voice of their manager called him. He turned to face her.

"Thank you, for doing that. For helping my brother out, for helping everyone out." Gou bowed in gratitude, then gave him her brightest smile.

He couldn't help but smile back, his heart feeling a little lighter than it was a minute ago.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to swim, I bet you would have been great. We all know you worked hard to get this far, and it's a shame we didn't get to see the outcome of it."

The bluenette felt a slight pang in his chest, which made him wince slightly, but forced it into a smile.

"It doesn't really matter now. What's done is done, and I only did what was right."

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa's voice shouted at him.

He quickly turned to see that the four swimmers were looking up at him.

"Get down here Rei-chan! They're gonna take a team picture!"

Rei complied and met them once he got downstairs.

"C'mon Rei-chan, we need you in the picture!" Nagisa went up to him and dragged him by his elbow to where the other three were.

To his surprise, it was Rin who spoke first among the three.

"I was wrong about you, Ryugazaki. I promise we'll do this right next time." Rin placed a hand on his shoulder and flashed him one of his toothy grins.

Haru stepped forward, "Thank you, Rei."

"Haruka-senpai, Rin-san..." Rei's voice trailed off. He was at a loss for words.

"We owe it all to you, Rei," Makoto said, and gave the younger boy a side-hug.

"I-It was only necessary," Rei blushed slightly at the gratitude he was receiving. "And besides, it would be terrible to leave things unresolved between you guys and Rin-san."

Before anyone could say anything else, the photographer came and asked if they could have the picture already. Everyone got into position, but Rei took one more glance at his friends before facing the camera. They all looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders; relaxed, unburdened, but most importantly, they were _free._

_But I'm not._

He had a long way to go before he could say the same for himself. For now, he could pretend to be.

* * *

There goes the first chapter of Speeding Cars in the District, I hope you guys liked it. Constructive criticism is encouraged, flames are allowed if you care to leave some, and please R&R and tell me what you think of it.

-Ravenhearst


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